Laila sent me this from p. 66 of Gourmet magazine:
"Hummus, one of those formerly exotic foods, has recently become ubiquitous; you find the spicy mixture of chick peas and sesame paste in every American supermarket. But until you have been to Israel and stood in the frantic line at Jaffa's Ali Karavan (sometimes known as Abu Hasan), eagerly jostling for a seat at one of the command tables, you've never really tasted it. The little restaurant sells only three dishes_hummus, hummus with ful and masabacha. You don't even need a spoon. Pick up the accompanying pita in one hand, and the raw onion in the other. Scoop up the wonderful warm beans, take a bite of onion, and marvel that the cook can elicit so many flavors from a few simple ingredients. But hurry-those people outside are eyeing your seat, willing you to finish eating. Because when the hummus is gone, the restaurant closes. And nobody wants to miss out..."